


Devil of the Opera

by Mazen



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms, Lucifer (TV), Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: Angst, Drama & Romance, F/M, Love Triangles, Musicals, Mystery, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-09-02 14:46:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16789048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mazen/pseuds/Mazen
Summary: The Devil lives in the penthouse of Lux, a renouned theater. Though he isn't the owner, he makes sure to manage it as the owners don't do it right. For years he's hidden himself because of his Devil face, but he has taken on a young orphan, Chloe Decker and teaches her how to sing, while hidden from her view, so she can become the star of Lux.The two have grown closer, but despite her wishes to meet him, he has been reluctant as he has to wear a mask to hide his Devil face. But the Devil realizes that he has to do something before Chloe is swept away by the patron Pierce who has his eyes on her.Or the short version: Lucifer dreams of himself as the Phantom of the Opera.It's a silly idea I got and it probably doesn't work, but I had to try! I don't know if it can be read without knowing Phantom of the Opera, but I would think so.





	1. Angel of Music

After Charlotte Richards, the leading soprano, ran off because of a stage accident, the owners of the theater Lux were panicked. That was until the ballet teacher Madame Linda Martin hurried to mention that Chloe Decker knew the song. Suddenly Chloe found herself alone on the stage dressed in expensive clothing with beautiful jewelry in front of a thousand people. But she'd had a great tutor and knew that she was prepared.

As she stood on the stage she felt all eyes on her, but she didn't sing for the audience, but for her Dad and for the Angel of Music who'd been sent by her Dad to guide her. He was watching her, she was sure as she felt his presence and she hoped that he was satisfied by her performance.

_Think of me, think of me fondly_  
_When we've said goodbye_  
_Remember me, once in a while_  
_Please, promise me you'll try_

_And you'll find that once again you long_  
_To take your heart back and be free_  
_If you ever find a moment_  
_Spare a thought for me_

_We never said our love was evergreen_  
_Or as unchanging as the sea_  
_But if you can still remember_  
_Stop and think of me_

_Think of all the things_  
_We've shared and seen_  
_Don't think about the way_  
_Things might have been_

_Think of me, think of me waking_  
_Silent and resigned_  
_Imagine me trying too hard_  
_To put you from my mind_

_Recall those days, look back on all those times_  
_Think of the things we'll never do_  
_There will never be a day_  
_When I won't think of you_

_Flowers fade, the fruit of summer fade_  
_They have their seasons, so do we_  
_But please promise me that sometimes_  
_You will think of me!_

***

She stood on the stage and took complete command of her surroundings. Not an eye was looking anywhere but at her. It was the first time she'd sung alone on the stage and the Devil was surprised at how relaxed she was. Their many lessons had paid off. Her pose was perfect, her breathing measured and her voice was without a doubt the closest thing to Heaven that he'd get. As she sang, he knew that the song was for him, for them. She believed him to be the Angel of Music, sent by her father. If she only knew that he was a fallen angel, now the Devil with a face burned by hell fire. He wasn't worthy of her worship, but he couldn't deny her.

She got a standing applause and she'd deserved it all and more. Which is why he'd made a small accident happen earlier that day to scare off the awful diva Charlotte Richards, so Chloe could get her chance at the spotlight. She was magnificent and his life's work. 

***

As soon as she left the stage she was swept towards the private dressing room by her friend Ella. There she was greeted by Madame Martin, the two owners, the stage director and the new patron Monsieur Pierce.

"Mademoiselle Decker, what a marvelous performance!" The co-owner Monsieur Amenadiel gushed at her and his partner Monsieur Uriel concurred: "An absolute delight!" They kissed her hand several times and showered her with compliments, then moved to the stage director Monsieur Espinoza for his direction of her performance. She knew that the two owners had no concept of good theater, so she just nodded and smiled at their praise.

When Madame Martin congratulated on her performance and told her that her teacher would be proud, she was genuinely flattered and hoped that he would visit her soon. The blush that crept up her cheeks at the thought of her Angel was probably mistaken for a reaction to the new patron who was approaching her after a brief chat with the owners.

"Mademoiselle Decker, what a wonderful voice you have. May I call you by your given name?" She noticed that everyone in the room was staring at them. The owners would want her to be nice to him and so she nodded at his request. He smiled. "Thank you, Chloe. You may call me Marcus. I wonder if you would join me for supper this evening?"

This time she almost saw the owners high-five. A happy patron would donate more money which is why they always encouraged the performers to make the patrons happy ever which way. She shuddered at the thought. She had no interest in entertaining some rich man, especially after an exhausting day. Luckily Madame Martin came to her rescure before she had to turn him down. 

"Monsieur Pierce, I think it's best if Chloe is allowed to rest after this trying day. I've no doubt that you'd be able to find a more suitable day." She said politely and Chloe was relieved that she didn't have to say it herself. 

"I'm sure Monsieur Espinoza will allow Chloe rest tomorrow." Amenadiel piped up and looked at Espinoza who nodded once, obviously not interested in being dragged into this discussion.

"Wonderful!" Marcus said and rubbed his hands together. "Give me 10 minutes and be ready for a night to remember." He said to Chloe. Apparently she was still a part of the conversation, just not the planning. She hated to constantly be told what to do. 

"With pleasure, Monsi... Uhm, Marcus." She acknowledged politely. It didn't seem like there was any way out of this. 

"Then let's go, so the girl can get dressed." Madame Martin shooed everyone out and earned a grateful look from Chloe when she closed the door to leave Chloe by herself. She needed peace, even if just for 10 minutes. She almost threw herself on the small divan in front of the mirror where she took note that she looked as tired as she felt. She had to freshen up before her suitor came back. She wouldn't be much company to Pierce and it didn't bother her.

At that moment a mesmerizing voice filled the room. 

_Insolent boy! This slave of fashion basking in your glory!_ _Ignorant fool! This brave young suitor, sharing in my triumph!_

Chloe hurried to answer her Angel. She was thrilled to hear from him so soon, but was saddened that he had to witness the scene with Pierce. 

_Angel, I hear you. Speak, I listen. Stay by my side, guide me._ _Angel, my soul was weak, forgive me. Enter at last, master!_

She dipped down to no one in the room as she didn't know where he was. She was used to this strange form of communication, but she longed for much more. His voice took a calming tone and she relaxed.

_Flattering child, you shall know me, see why in shadow I hide!_ _Look at your face in the mirror, I am there, inside!_

She hurried to her mirror to finally meet her strange teacher. It was as if the mirror became transparent and instead of her reflection she could see a tall figure in there. 

_Angel of Music, guide and guardian. Grant to me your glory!_ _Angel of Music, hide no longer. Come to me, strange angel._

The figure was wearing an impeccable dark suit that looked expensive and he was clearly måle with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He had dark brown hair and almost black eyes that stared right into her soul.   
  
_I am your angel, come to me, Angel of Music..._

His voice drew her to him and when the frame of the mirror opened, she didn't hesitate to step inside. She heard Marcus Pierce calling outside her door, but she paid him no mind as her angel's commanding voice lured her. He took her hand and she followed him down the strange corridor behind the mirror. 

_I am your Angel of Music. Come to me, Angel of Music._


	2. Music of the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe is led into the Devil's living space and she lets herself be seductive by his enchanting presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole thing takes place around the turn of the century which is why there's no elevator. This chapter also shows something that wasn't spoken of, but it often happened even though it was frowned upon. I also stray from the musical in this chapter, but it is to explore the fascination that Chloe has with Lucifer, how she's willing to let herself go. Plus the Devil is sex on legs. 
> 
> Lucifer's glamour only works on half his face which is the reason for his mask.

She followed him through narrow corridors, holding his hand the whole time. Then they reached stairs going up and she didn't hesitate when his brown eyes sent her a questioning look. She trusted him completely. He'd been a stable presence in her life since Madame Martin brought her to the theater after her Dad's death and he had taught her how to sing for several years. 

_In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came_  
_That voice which calls to me and speaks my name_  
_And do I dream again? For now I find_  
_The Devil of the Opera is there_  
_Inside my mind_

She was getting wary of climbing all those stairs. The building was ten stories high and it seemed like they should be there soon, where ever they were going. But she was excited that he finally let her meet him and was thrilled when he joined her song:

 _Sing once again with me our strange duet_  
_My power over you grows stronger yet_  
_And though you turn from me to glance behind_  
_The Devil of the Opera is there_  
_Inside your mind_

His mask was simple, of white porcelain and covered half his face, though leaving his mouth free. She wondered how he sang with it and why he wore it, but didn't question him. Whatever he was hiding she wasn't fearful of. 

_Those who have seen your face, draw back in fear_  
_I am the mask you wear_

She sang and he continued:

 _It's_ _me they hear..._  
  
Together they sang in perfect harmony as they reached the top of the stairs.

 _Your spirit and my voice in one combined_  
_The Devil of the Opera is here inside my mind_

He opened a large door to what she thought would be the attic. Instead it was a large penthouse they entered with floor to ceiling windows, marble floors and a whole wall of living lights behind glass, bathing the entire room in a soft light. In the middle of the room stood a grand piano, covered in music sheets. 

_In all your fantasies, you always knew_  
_That man and mystery_

He sang as he followed her reaction to the room and their eyes locked as she continued:

 _Were both in you..._  
  
He joined her in song again and he drew her against his lean body.

_And in this labyrint where night is blind t_ _he Devil of the Opera is here inside my mind._

His voice was extremely sensual and she gasped as he brushed a hair from her face. His eyes bore into her and she felt a shiver run down her back. He suddenly seemed much younger than she'd expected and yet like he'd lived forever. 

"Welcome to my humble abode," he whispered softly and let her go from his tight embrace. She was disappointed, but he took her hand again and led her to the windows where she could see the whole city, though she only had eyes for this enchanting man next to her. She felt herself drawn to him and when he started to run his thumb gently over her knuckles, her breath hitched. Something about that small action was so intense when he did it and she felt something in her stomach tighten. 

"There's nothing humble about this place," she said. "But it seems fitting for an angel to live in the sky." He dropped her hand and seemed to withdraw at her words. 

"As you can see I'm no more angel than you." He muttered. "I am sorry to have misled you."

She shook her head and dared to touch his shoulder. "You're still my tutor who I have known for years and I'm grateful that you found me worthy to finally meet you and see your home." She ran her hand up his neck until she reached the side of his face that was covered by his mask. "I only wish you'd show me everything."

He drew back instantly when he thought she would remove his mask. "The mask stays on." And she knew that there was no arguing with him. Instead she tried to act nonchalant and turned to the windows again. 

"How can you live here without the owners knowing?" She asked him. The windows seemed to be hidden from view from the street, but they had to know that there was a large space under the roof.

"The owners know to stay away if they don't want to enrage the Opera Devil." He mumbled and she turned to face him again. He almost seemed like he was trying to scare her, but it wasn't working. She walked to the piano and ran her fingers over the smooth surface. It was black and shone in the soft light. She picked up a music sheet and read the music, hearing it in her head as he'd written it. The music was much different from anything she'd ever heard and she was in awe of this musical talent, truly an Angel of Music, even if he was just a man. 

"Will you play something for me?" she asked, all of a sudden shy in his presence. She gestured to the sheets covering the piano. He nodded and sat down on the bench. She dared to take a seat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder which made him catch his breath a moment. 

"This is something I've dabbled with. For this moment." He said as he looked meaningfully. at her.

_Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation_  
_Darkness wakes and stirs imagination_  
_Silently the senses abandon their defenses_  
_Helpless to resist the notes I write_  
_For I compose the music of the night_

_Slowly, gently night unfurls it's splendor_  
_Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender_  
_Hearing is believing, music is deceiving_  
_Hard as lightening, soft as candlelight_  
_Dare you trust the music of the night_

_Close your eyes for your eyes will only tell the truth_  
_and the truth isn't what you want to see_  
_In the dark it is easy to pretend_  
_That the truth is what it ought to be_

_Softly, deftly, music shall caress you_  
_hear it, fear it, secretly possess you_  
_Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind_  
_In this darkness which you know you cannot fight_  
_The darkness of the music of the night_

_Close your eyes, start a journey to a strange new world_  
_Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before_  
_Close your eyes and let music set you free_  
_Only then can you belong to me_

_Floating, falling, sweet intoxication_  
_Touch me, trust me, savour each sensation_  
_Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in_  
_To the power of the music that I write_  
_The power of the music of the night_

The song was breath-taking and she felt herself growing warmer. He never even looked at the piano keys, but played with his eyes closed, swallowed up in the music. As it started to near the end he turned his eyes to hers and it seemed like he was pleading her:

_You alone can make the song take flight_  
_Help me make the music of the night_

When he'd finished playing the last note she laid her hand upon his and without even thinking she leaned towards him. He didn't move, but licked his lips as he looked at her mouth. When their lips met she was surprised at how soft his were. His reaction was minimal, but she felt the softness move as she kissed him. She leaned back a moment, looking at his eyes that seemed to burn into hers and she dared to touch his uncovered cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch and she met his mouth again. This time he reacted instantly and deepened the kiss as soon as she parted her lips. 

Like his music his kiss was filled with passion and he didn't hold back. When she felt his hand sliding into her hair while he expertly bit lightly at her bottom lip, she moaned. The hand she'd kept on his cheek moved into his hair. She gripped it and pulled, earning her a ravenous groan. He was radiating pure heat, a heat that seemed to fill her and pool in her stomach.

Suddenly he pulled her into his lap and she shuddered as her womanhood came into contact with something hard in his pants. She couldn't help but grind into it and they both moaned loudly at sensation. He kissed down her throat and sucked at the place where her neck met her shoulder which made her gasp. Something was tightening in her and though she felt wanton for her actions, she followed her body and grinded again into his crotch.

He gripped her tightly and rose from the bench, laying her down on the scattered music sheets that covered the piano. He climbed over her and continued their kiss. She let her hands roam his hair, his neck and down his back. He was lean, but she felt muscles hidden by the suit and she wished that he would remove it. All thoughts were forgotten when his hips met hers in a smooth thrust.

Chloe wasn't experienced in any of this. Not even a kiss had she had before. But she did listen when the older girls in the theater talked and she quickly realized that she was extremely aroused and that it was indeed an erection in his pants which felt so right. She also knew that it would bring them both immense pleasure if they continued this. Had it been any other man she'd have stopped this long before, but this was her tutor, her Angel of Music that she had known for years and who she now knew was a man of flesh and blood. A man that she wanted. So she let her worries go because she'd marry her Angel if he would have her. They could live together in the penthouse and sing every day. Perhaps he could even join her in the theater.

She started to meet his hips thrust for thrust as the pleasure built. Their clothing seemed awful restrictive and she moved her hands to his suit to unbutton his jacket. His hands drifted down the sides of her breasts and then his mouth neared her cleavage. A hand touched her breast, kneading it lightly and she pushed it further into his hand. He pulled down in her dress, somehow managing to expose both breasts to him. He was on them in an instant. He drew circles around her right nipple with his tongue, then sucked on it while his hand massaged the left breast and teased the nipple there.

His thrusts became faster and she let go of his jacket because she couldn't concentrate anymore. She gripped his back instead, holding onto him and wrapped her legs around his waist. She was close to something, something she'd heard talk of, but never had managed to achieve by herself.

At that moment she felt a hand slide under her skirts and up her inner thigh. When it reached her bloomers, it quickly found an opening and she felt how wet she seemed to be where his hand had ventured into. His thrusts didn't falter with his exploring, it rather increased. She found him at her wet opening and carefully he dipped a finger into her. The feeling was extraordinary and suddenly she screamed as the pleasure exploded in her and spread into every vein in her body. She shuddered against him and contracted around his finger that curled in her opening. She felt him shudder too into her softness and his loud groan that sounded like her name prolonged the pleasure until she felt the world disappear around her. The last thing she saw was his intense eyes boring into her very soul.


	3. Stranger than you dreamt it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe learns why the Devil hides while others receive a large number of notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot of dialogue in this and I'm very sorry. It had to be there. Songs and context have been rewritten to fit the story. I hope it works anyway. Comments are always encouraged.

Chloe awoke in a strange bed, bigger and softer than the one she had in the dormitory. She opened her eyes and found herself in a dark room with strange wallpaper and marble floors. Then she heard it: A peculiar, but captivating music from a piano. She remembered last night where she'd stood on the stage in front of thousands and enraptured them all, only made possible because of her Angel of Music. The Angel who'd led her through a mirror into bizarre hallways and up the stairs into the sky, reaching a room with marble floor and a black piano. He hadn't been an angel, just a man and she had just been a woman, completely unable to resist his enchanting music and alluring gaze. She blushed as she recalled her wanton actions and she hoped her Angel didn't think her a harlot. He must've brought her to his bed when she'd passed out and the thought comforted her. No man would bring a harlot into his own bed.

The black sheets surrounding her felt like the purest silk and the urge to stay in bed was only surpassed by the urge to follow the beautiful music coming from another room. She got up, her voice whispering to the tones she trailed like footprints in the snow.

 _I remember there was dark_  
_Dark, narrow walls behind my mirror_  
_There were stairs ascending_  
_Into a room with a wall of lights_  
_And in the room there was a man..._

A few steps descended into the room she'd been in yesterday, the vast penthouse with a wall of now unlit candles and floor-to-ceiling windows. Sunbeams reached across the room, bathing the piano in a calming light. Her Angel was sitting there with his back to her. She wasn't surprised that he was the source of the bewitching music, a true musical genius. She neared him slowly, not wishing to disturb him, but she had to know.

 _Who was that shape in the shadows?_  
_Whose is the face beneath the mask?_

When she stood directly behind him, she felt him notice her presence. His shoulders tensed, then his fingers halted their movement on the piano keys. She had to know the story behind this angel, this man. She wanted to know all of him, wanted to have all of him. The mask called to her, like a key to the lock that opened up this angel to her. As he turned she lifted her hands and grabbed the mask as soon as she came into contact with it.  
She hadn't been prepared for what happened when she lifted it from his face and exposed what was underneath. Instead of a key to a lock, the mask was a lid on a box filled with anguish. He threw himself away from her, screaming in anger and pain as hid his face the best he could with his hands. 

_Damn you!_  
_You little prying Pandora!_  
_You little demon_  
_Is this what you wanted to see?_

He pulled himself to his knees, still several feet away from her. His hands left his face, exposing the side of his face that had been hidden under the mask and she gasped at the sight. The skin seemed to have been burned right off, leaving a bloody red surface with muscles and veins. Where his eyebrow and hair should've been on the right side was just more of the same incinerated surface. It looked painful and she swallowed a hard lump. But the worst was his eyes that no longer were the chocolate color she'd seen the night before. Instead they held a blackness wherein deadly flames seemed to burn. It was as if the fires of Hell burned inside his eyes and even through some of the burnt planes of his cheek.

 _Curse you!_  
_You little lying Delilah!_  
_You little viper_  
_Now you cannot ever be free!_

_Damn you, curse you!_

He began crawling towards her and though his horrible disfigurement terrified her, it was his anger she truly feared. She pushed herself backwards over the floor until reaching a wall. She gripped the mask still in her hands, fearing what terrible price she would pay for her curiosity. He'd already said that she would never be free. Would he hold her captive here?

 _Stranger than you dreamt it_  
_Can you even dare to look_  
_or bear to think of me?_  
_This loathsome gargoyle who burns in Hell_  
_But secretly yearns for Heaven_  
_Secretly... secretly_

He stopped in front of her, almost reaching for her and yet not. The fires on his cheek had died and his torching eyes only held a flicker of flames now. Those paradoxical eyes no longer seemed to hold any wrath. Instead they filled with water, tears that evaporated in his fiery eyes before they could fall. She saw sorrow and loneliness she'd never imagined could exist. She wanted to reach out to him and touch him, but feared that he'd hurt her, the rage from before impossible to forget.

 _But Chloe_  
_Fear can turn to love_  
_you'll learn to see_  
_To find the man behind the monster_  
_This repulsive carcass who seems a beast_  
_But secretly dreams of beauty_  
_Secretly... secretly_  
_Oh Chloe..._

He pleaded her with his whole being as he extended his hand towards her, his eyes falling to the mask she was still clutching in her hands. It took her a moment to grasp what he wanted before she handed it over to him. Their fingers touched briefly and he hurried to turn far away from her like the touch had frightened him. He got on his feet and turned back to her again, mask firm in place and a smile on his lips. His eyes were the warm brown color as she remembered from yesterday evening and hadn't she seen it with her own eyes, she'd never have thought him to be that furious demon she'd encountered a moment ago. His smile was perfect and unashamed, but his eyes held an apprehensiveness that made his cheery act unbelievable. Deep inside he almost seemed as scared of her as she was of him.

He grabbed her hand, pulled her to her feet and dragged her to the doors that led to the stairs.

 _Come, we must return!_  
_Those two fools who run my theater will be missing you_

They hurried down the steps, Chloe almost falling several times where he steadied her, though he was careful not to touch her more than necessary. He was so different from the passionate soul she'd come to know and had met last night. He'd distanced himself and she knew it was because she'd betrayed his trust. Perhaps he would never want anything to do with her again, never sing with her again. She felt like a stone dropped in her stomach at the thought.

When they reached the end of the narrow hallways and he opened the mirror, she tried to stop and talk to him, beg him for forgiveness. But he pushed her carefully through the opening and closed the mirror before she could utter a word.

"Please, my Angel. Forgive me for my transgressions. I beg you, don't leave me." She said as she held her hand up to the mirror's surface, but she couldn't feel his presence on the other side. She stayed there, just in case, hoping that he'd forgive her.

***

Marcus Pierce burst through the door to Amenadiel's and Uriel's office, not bothering to knock. 

"What is this nonsense?" He demanded to know as he threw a piece of paper on their desk where they were planning the next performance. 

Amenadiel sighed and picked up the note, already recognizing the stationary with a little devil imprinted in the top corner. ">Do not attempt to approach Mademoiselle Chloe Decker again or the consequences shall be dire.<"

"Do you know what that is supposed to mean? Has this anything to do with why Chloe wasn't in her dressing room when I returned yesterday evening?" Pierce questioned them once again and didn't miss it when Amenadiel and Uriel shared a look. "Tell me if you want my continued support of this theater!"

At the mention of Pierce's generous support Uriel got up and walked around the table, daring to put an arm on the taller man's shoulder. Amenadiel shuffled a few papers, hiding several of their own notes written from the same stationary as Pierce's note.

"Monsieur, this is from a rather insistent fan of our theater who prefers to see things going his way." Uriel tried to explain the large man. "He seems to think that Mademoiselle Decker is a rising Primadonna and wishes her to stay focused. But of course it is not his choice to make. As for her disappearance yesterday, I do believe she had a fainting spell and was led to rest in her dormitory by Madame Martin." He turned his head to silently question Amenadiel who shrugged. Not one of them knew. "Please, do not worry over a single note."

As on cue Charlotte Richards blazed into the room with Daniel Espinoza at her heels. "What is the meaning of this note I've received?" She cried in a shrill voice and waved a piece of paper in front of the three men in the office. Pierce grabbed it out of her hand.

">Your days in Lux are numbered.<" Pierce read out loud. "Another note? This is madness!" Amenadiel and Uriel shared another look, worried that their famous Soprano and their patron both would flee and leave them penniless.

"Monsieur Pierce," Amenadiel began. "There is no madness at the Lux theater, only a man who thinks he has influence. He has none, of course and there's no reason why we would listen to this man.

Uriel continued, now focused on appeasing their star. "Madame Richards, you are THE Primadonna of Lux. You will be the star of many, many performances before your light will fade." A look of her almost made him gasp. "Oh, I mean of course your light will never fade! But surely you'd one day wish to retire." Charlotte nodded firmly.

"Very well," Pierce said. "But I want security guards to catch this man before any more notes show up." Both owners agreed.

In that very moment Madame Martin showed up, not having to knock on the door as Charlotte had never closed it behind her.

"I've received a note from the Theater Devil." She informed, holding up a similar note to the others and before anyone in the room could interrupt, her firm voice read: ">In the upcoming staging of The Mute there's a perfect role for Charlotte Richards as it is silent. You will have her play the pageboy while Chloe Decker plays the Countess.<" Charlotte gasped loudly and faked a fainting into Espinoza's arms, but Madame Martin took no notice as she read on. ">Do remember to keep Box 5 empty as usual for my use. If my demands are not met, you will face a disaster beyond imagination.<"

"This is outrageous!" Pierce roared. "Have you met his demands before since he's used to have Box 5 to himself?" He turned to Amenadiel and Uriel who tried to telepathically come up with an answer.

"Box 5 is... is rarely requested." Amenadiel stuttered and Espinoza scoffed loudly at his statement. "If you, Monsieur Pierce, or any other wish to use it, there's really not any reason of it to be empty. I can personally make sure it is reserved for you or any guests you want to bring."

"And of course," Uriel continued, once again putting an arm around Pierce's shoulder (since he didn't get brushed off the last time) "Mademoiselle Decker will be playing the pageboy, leaving her more spare time to dine with you if you wish." 

Amenadiel took Charlotte's hand in his, kissed it and covered it with his other hand. "Our dear Primadonna, grant us the honor of playing the Countess. Light up that stage. Sing, Primadonna, once more!" He pleaded.

"I follow where the limelight leads me. I'll sing again and to unending ovation!" Her shrill filled the room and the owners finally felt they could breathe freely again.

"Fine," Pierce mumbled, then added louder, "But I'm putting guards by Box 5 to catch the perpetrator!" Everyone nodded their agreement, shaking hands and went their separate ways.

But behind a painting of the Temptation of Christ a shadowy figure followed every word. 


	4. All I ask of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first performance of The Mute begins with Charlotte as the Countess and Chloe was the pageboy, but nothing goes as planned and Chloe is frightened into Pierce's arms.

It had been a few weeks since Chloe had seen her Angel of Music - or the Devil of the Opera as he really was. His face had certainly looked the Devil's and his rage... But she had no doubt in her mind that the person who had taught her for years was real. He might not be an angel, but she'd not imagined his personality or how gentle he could be and now that she knew him to be a man, she wasn't able to let go of her fantasies of them together. If he came back to her, she would ask him for his courtship or perhaps even marriage! He'd seemed to want her, his love for her as clear in his eyes as in his trousers. She blushed frequently at the thought of her shameless actions. But she could not regret it, only her action of unmasking him. His face had been awful, but his anger had been much worse. Could he trust her again, she would do whatever he asked of her. Then nothing would stand in their way. 

Several times a day she sang for him to come and teach her, guide her. She'd stood in front of the mirror many times, even after Charlotte had returned, she'd sneaked into the dressing room for the Primadonna. She'd sung in the chapel where he'd taught her since she was but just a child. Two times she'd dared to steal a moment after curfew in the dormitory and slip onto the stage to sing. The second time she'd been caught by Malcolm Graham, the unpleasant stagehand who liked to lurk around the girls' dormitory, only to be saved by Madame Martin. After that she hadn't dared to venture much around the theater alone. But she was never given an answer by her Angel anyway. 

However, strange occurrences had happened every time Charlotte Richards had rehearsed on stage and Chloe knew that it was because her Angel wanted Chloe to play the part of the Countess. He'd always been eager to share his disdain for Charlotte's voice and arrogance and he'd raved about Chloe's talents for the stage. But she feared that he would hurt someone. Stage curtains had been close to hit Charlotte a few times, the stagehands had fallen from open hatches and props had flown across the stage without anyone knowing how. It had caused a few people to quit, among others their leading tenor. Luckily the stage director Monsieur Espinoza had been able to fill in as the Count as it was a smaller part and having a powerful voice himself. The owners called them all mad for thinking that it could be caused by the Devil of the Opera, but she knew better. She just wished to talk to him.

***

The first performance of The Mute was about to start and though Chloe wished to play the role of the Countess, she was completely fine with playing the pageboy. Everything had gone without incidents at the last rehearsal and the whole crew was at ease. It also meant that those who weren't going on stage had begun to drink and it always worried her. Some of the men could get out of hand after a performance and if they were intoxicated, they would act shamelessly.

Ella and Chloe shared a look when they neared Malcolm in the empty corridor who'd already emptied several bottles already. Suddenly he jumped up at them, laughing madly and he tried to grab them, even managing to touch Ella's breast. Chloe slapped him which earned her his full attention. He backed her into a corner, looming over her with a deranged look in his eyes and she knew that she was no match for his strength. Ella ran for help, but Malcolm was already raising his hand to strike Chloe. She closed her eyes and wished for her Angel to save her. Then she heard flesh being hit and she was surprised that it wasn't hers. She opened her eyes to find Marcus Pierce standing across from her while Malcolm was groaning in pain on the floor. 

"Chloe, are you alright?" Marcus asked her and she nodded, stepping past Malcolm to hug her rescuer. She was so relieved that he'd saved her that she didn't think about being proper. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugging him flush against her which made him choke a little on his breath. She noticed their close proximity when she heard it, but she didn't get to pull back because he wrapped his own arms around her back and sighed. She found that she felt safe and comfortable in his arms.

"Chloe?" Madame Martin called from the end of the corridor. Chloe hurried away from Marcus' embrace and blushed red, but he smiled affectionately to her and she returned it. "Chloe, are you okay?" Madame Martin called again and neared them, finally noticing Malcolm on the floor behind them. "I believe this was the last chance for you, Monsieur Graham." She spoke to the man on the floor who was looking profusely ashamed. Then she turned her attention to Chloe once more, though she briefly looked Marcus over. "Chloe, it's time for the play to start and The Mute won't work with a mute pageboy. Please follow me." She nodded and dutifully followed her guardian.

"Mademoiselle Decker, can I meet with you after the show?" Marcus called after her. Finally he seemed to ask her instead of insisting.

"Please, call me Chloe! And yes!" She smiled at him brightly before turning the corner, arriving in the right wing of the stage where Charlotte was already singing with Espinoza. When he left the stage, Chloe entered, playing her mute part perfectly.

Then 10 minutes into the performance a familiar dark voice boomed through the theater, as if it came from everywhere and nowhere at once:

"Box 5 has been occupied opposed to my instructions." Chloe looked to Box 5 where indeed Marcus was sitting. "Now you will face the consequences!" The voice made the walls seem to shake, the large chandelier swinging above them. The audience was as frightened as the cast. Chloe saw the owners get up from their seats and try to calm down everyone.

"Ella," Chloe whispered to her friend. "He's here. I know him. _The Devil of the Opera_."

Charlotte next to them heard her and sneered at her. "Be quiet, you little sheep! You and the rest of them!"

"Oh, but it is you who are a sheep, Madame." The voice roared once again. The audience gasped and talked loudly, making it impossible to continue the performance. Some started to leave and several rich women fainted. The owners were sweating and apologizing to everyone. 

Suddenly Monsieur Espinoza entered the stage again. "Please, everyone. There's nothing to be frightened of." It was obvious that he was used to instruct a large cast all at once as he caught everyone's attention. "Return to your seats and the performance will resume promptly." Finally the audience quieted and started to find their seats again. Ushers brought water and fans for the women who had fainted and in only a few minutes it was possible to continue. Meanwhile Chloe had looked around the wings and rafters, wondering if she could catch a glimpse of the man who'd caused the interruption. She needed to talk to him, but more importantly she was sure that he wasn't done with his revenge and she wanted to stop him from doing something unforgivable.

The music began again and Chloe went back to dancing around Charlotte as her role required. Then the musicians' pit started to play the Countess' song, but when Charlotte started singing all that left her was baaing, almost as a sheep. The audience started to laugh, thinking it was part of the show while Charlotte's face got redder as she fought against her voice. Suddenly the curtain fell and Charlotte was led off the stage by an assistent. She cried and Chloe wondered if that was how it sounded when a sheep cried. On the other side of the curtain she could hear laughter roaring from the audience while Espinoza tried to calm them down.

"Madame Richards are feeling under the weather. The rest of the performance will be led by Mademoiselle Chloe Decker as the Countess." At the sound of her name the audience stopped laughing and muttered instead. She hoped it was positive things they had to say, but she didn't feel ready to play the part. They hadn't even asked her, only persumed that she knew the part. Although she did. "Until we're ready to resume the scene, please enjoy the Dance of the Shepherdesses from act 3." Espinoza ended and exited. Instantly Chloe was pulled from the stage, being dressed in the Countess' costume while Ella and the other dancers were running to the stage, still putting on their shepherdess clothing. They were barely ready when the curtain lifted, making the audience laugh at the chaos. 

Suddenly a figure fell from the rafters, a snare around its neck. The dancers screamed as they thought they would be hit, but instead the figure hung over them, swinging from side to side. Chloe recognized the figure almost instantly. It was Malcolm Graham, strangled. The whole room went into a panic while Chloe stood in shock. Swiftly she was pulled away by her arm and she was alarmed until she saw Marcus looking worried at her. He had been trying to get her away from the hysteria. She felt the same comfort with him as she had felt before when he saved her. She took his hand and ran up to the balcony on the second floor where everyone had already left and she knew there would be peace.

"Chloe, we have to get out, get away from this madness!" Marcus held her arms and looked at her fiercely.

 _"No, don't go. He'll kill you. His eyes will find us there, the eyes that burn!"_ She sang, not able to hide her distress. 

_Marcus, I've seen him!_  
_Can I ever forget that sight?_  
_Can I ever escape from that face?_  
_So distorted, deformed, it was hardly a face,_  
_in the darkness, darkness_  
_But his voice filled my spirit_  
_with a strange, sweet sound_  
_In that night there was music in my mind_  
_And through music my soul began to soar!_  
_And I heard as I'd never heard before_

Marcus pleaded with her. "What you heard was a dream and nothing more."

 _Yet in his eyes all the sadness of the world_  
_Those pleading eyes, that both threaten and adore_

She cried at the thought of his pain, yet his anger scaring her. And now he had killed. She turned from Marcus, looking down on the gruesome sight of Malcolm's body. She didn't know if she wanted to escape her Angel or beg him to take her back. Marcus began singing to her in a calming manner and she let his soothing voice engulf her.

 _No more talk of darkness_  
_Forget these wide-eyed fears_  
_I'm here nothing, can harm you_  
_My words will warm and calm you_  
  
_Let me be your freedom_  
_Let daylight dry your tears_  
_I'm here with you, beside you,_  
_To guard you and to guide you_

She wished for his comfort and joined him, telling him what she needed from him.

 _Say you'll love me every waking moment_  
_Turn my head with talk of summer time_  
_Say you need me with you now and always_  
_Promise me that all you say is true_  
_That's all I ask of you_

He sang for her, promising her that he would be her shelter and that she'd be safe. In turn she told him that she needed him beside her to hold her and hide her. She hoped he would do it and his answer was in song.

 _Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime_  
_Let me lead you from your solitude_  
_Say you need me with you here, beside you_  
_Anywhere you go let, me go too_  
_Christine, that's all I ask of you_

She kissed him, his promises being everything she needed in that moment. She knew that he was an honest man who could provide for her and love her with all his might. It was safe and normal, everything she couldn't have with the Devil in her life. She sang with him in perfect harmony, knowing that her choice was right.

 _Anywhere you go let, me go too_  
_Love me that's all I ask of you_

He took her in his arms and led her to safety.

***

Unbeknownst to Chloe and Marcus the Devil had followed their conversation from a statue on the balcony. He felt the loss of her love deep in his bones and the pain gripped him everywhere.

_I gave you my music, made your song take wing_  
_And now, how you've repaid me, denied me, and betrayed me_  
_He was bound to love you when he heard you sing_  
_Chloe, Chloe..._

He cried, sobbing pitifully like he'd never done before in his long, miserable life. He'd let her in into his heart, only to have her rip it out when she left like she had ripped the mask from his face. He heard them from beneath him, still singing their love song.

_Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime_  
_Say the word and I will follow you_  
_Share each day with me, each night, each morning..._

Their song made his blood boil, his eyes filling with fire. He looked at them, then the chandelier above their heads. His eyes burned into the metal chains holding it. 

_You will curse the day you did not do_  
_All that the Devil asked of you!_

The chandelier crashed down to the floor, barely missing the beau of the love of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I've removed a lot of text in All I Ask of You, but dammit, it's difficult to write a duet.  
> Hope it's readable anyway!


	5. Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being in the shadows for so many years, the Devil finally reveals himself to everyone and presents the owners with an opera he has written which is to be performed with Chloe in the leading role.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Masquerade is such an incredible song (like many of the other songs in the musical), but it's really difficult to make sense of who's singing, so it makes sense in the storytelling. Therefore I've done what I've wanted to do from the beginning: See things from a Devilish perspective. I have refrained from this until now to keep it like the musical, but it makes tremendous more sense for me to do the musical number like this. 
> 
> Christine's dress as described is like this: https://www.pinterest.dk/pin/3870349651424338/?lp=true

He'd kept to himself for six months. Six months in the penthouse with too much scotch and not enough sleep. While he wanted to tribute his absence to the finalisation of composing his masterpiece _Don Juan Triumphant_ , he admitted to himself in his darkest moments that he'd also stayed away to ease the heartache. Seeing Chloe promising herself to Pierce had been excruciating. In his anguish he'd even broken the chandelier and Chloe had almost be hit by it when it fell to the floor. He could've killed her and though he hated her being with Pierce, he'd never want to hurt her. He hadn't been the one to stop Malcolm Graham when he attacked her, but he would've done it if the damn Pierce hadn't showed up first. And he had killed Graham for her sake to show that his deeds didn't go unpunished. It might've been foolish to hang his body over the stage, but seeing Pierce in box 5 - his own box - had infuriated him and the owners had to be ruffled. Sadly it just seemed to have scared Chloe into Pierce's arms.

Chloe had been the main reason that he'd finally been able to finish his masterpiece. He'd been stuck for eons, literally. Something was always missing. He found that something with her the night she'd visited his home and kissed him. They'd been indecent, yet it seemed to be a natural development of their music together. That development was exactly what he'd needed. Soon he found that he'd rewritten most of his masterpiece, so the leading soprano was every bit an image of Chloe. It only made it better, more real and honest. She truly was the counterpart to him which was needed to create the music of the night.

Six months it had been since he'd seen her. He'd heard her of course, singing with the chorus, with Ella, even by herself. Though he didn't go down to the theater, the sounds often traveled all the way up to his lonely tower and her voice always seemed to travel the farthest. Often it resulted in more drinking and more sleepless nights. He'd no doubt that the last six months of drinking and not sleeping showed on him, but luckily no one would see any part of his face tonight. Because on this of all nights he could with good excuse wear a mask and no one would raise an eyebrow. That is if he hadn't made the most formidable costume with a spine-chilling mask to match.

***

He moved through the walls, over the rafters and between the loose panels like he always did. He knew every path well and therefore he didn't worry about his costume, though it had to stay perfect for his appearance. But he knew this place better than Hell itself. He watched every person arrive. In the beginning it was mostly rich guests and meaningless cast until the owners arrived. Monsieur Amenadiel and Monsieur Uriel were of course patting each other on the back. They enjoyed the party filled with rich people who could make them a lot of money. Madame Richards and Monsieur Espinoza joined them in toast to not receiving anymore notes from any Devil. Everyone seemed to have fun, even the stiff Madame Martin. The Devil's eyes followed each and every one, but his watchful eyes halted when they saw her.

She was wearing a gown composed of a dark blue top that showed off her beautiful shoulders and neckline. At her waist the blue turned lighter into first purple, then light pink as the skirt flowed outward from her hips. The entire dress was adored with silver stars. She wore light pink boots and the whole outfit was completed with a simple black mask. The meaning of the dress was not lost on him. She was leaving the night, going into the light with only the shining stars following her. He felt a stab in his chest when he saw what she wore around her neck. To anyone it might look like another necklace with a diamond pendant, but to him it was obvious that it was an engagement ring. Though she didn't wear it on her finger. Therefore it was still just a piece of jewelry and not a real proof of her devotion to Pierce.

Pierce was on her arm unfortunately, a place he didn't belong. He was dressed in a costume version of the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars' uniform. It was a popular choice and in no way original like Chloe's gown. It seemed for a moment like they were arguing, gesturing to the ring around Chloe's neck and he smirked. There was trouble in paradise as Chloe hadn't completely given herself to Pierce. She still belonged to another - the Devil who hoped to lure her away from Pierce.

_Masquerade!_ _Paper faces on parade  
_ _Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you  
_ _Masquerade! Every face a different shade  
_ _Masquerade! Look around, there's another mask behind you  
_ _Masquerade! Buring glances, turning heads  
_ _Masquerade! Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you  
_ _Masquerade! Grinning yellows, spinning reds  
_ _Masquerade! Take your fill, let the spectacle astound you_

The Bal Masque was in full flow as everyone sang and danced through the ballroom. It was time for him to join them. He let a red smoke bomb fall, one of his many experiments with cannon powder, on top of the stairs and stepped out of the panel, he'd been hiding in, right into the smoke. To everyone it should appear that he came out of nowhere and as he heard the music stop and people gasping, he knew it was a succes. He walked slowly out of the smoke, as dramatically as possible. The Devil was, if nothing more, a fan of theatrics. He quickly located those he'd cared about in the crowd and descended the stairs one step at a time. People seemed petrified by his presence and perhaps his gruesome mask. It was stark white against his red, draped rope. He'd formed it perfectly as a skull with a leering expression and a missing nose. It covered his face completely. He let his flaming eyes shine out of the eye holes, giving him an otherworldly look. With the bound copy of his Opera he might even look like a sinister Moses returning from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments. 

The only one who didn't back away from the stairs was of course the one who knew his presence where ever he went: Chloe. Without looking towards her, he felt her eyes on him, nearing the stairs, though Pierce tried to step in front of her. But he couldn't focus on them yet. He had a task to complete first.

 _Why so silent, good Messieurs?_  
_Did you think that I had left you for good?_  
_Have you missed me, good Messieurs?_  
_I have written you an opera!_  
_Here I bring the finished score—_  
_"Don Juan Triumphant"!_

He locked eyes with each of the owners and glided towards them. He dropped the large binder in front of them. Then he turned to the rest of the crowd that all stood frozen to the spot. 

_Fondest greetings to you all!_  
_A few instructions just before rehearsal starts:_  
_Charlotte must be taught to act_  
_Not her normal trick of strutting 'round the stage_  
_Our Don Juan must lose some weight—_  
_It's not healthy in a man of Daniel's age_  
_And my owners must learn_  
_That their place is in an office, not the arts_

Finally he turned to Chloe who now was almost directly behind him despite Pierce's attempts to stop her. Up close she looked even more ravishing. He thought of how much he would give to be the man beside her whose mask could be removed without causing even greater panic. He would give up music itself for her, music that was the only form of passion he'd known all his life. All for her. His eyes couldn't leave hers as they looked at each other so close for the first time in so long.

 _As for our star, Mademoiselle Chloe Decker..._  
_No doubt she'll do her best_  
_It's true, her voice is good_  
_She knows, though, should she wish to excel_  
_She has much still to learn_  
_If pride will let her return to me, her teacher_  
_Her teacher..._

He noticed that she'd been mesmerized, her adoration of him and desire for him shining clearly through her almost hooded eyes. It reminded him of the look she'd given him after he'd sung to her at his piano, right before she'd kissed him. How he wanted this moment to last forever where they could look into each other's eyes and never let the rest of the world in. Then Pierce interrupted them, grabbing Chloe's arm to pull her back. A gleam caught the Devil's eyes from the ring on her necklace, the one that Pierce had given her. But it still wasn't an engagement ring, not when it didn't adore her beautiful finger! He reached out and ripped the chain from her neck. It came off easily and he held it up for the lovers to see.

 _Your chains are still mine_  
_You belong to me_

Still grasping the chain with the ring with one hand, he reached into his rope with his other hand, pulling out a another smoke bomb and threw it to the floor right where a secret hatch was hidden. He let himself fall into the opening hatch as the smoke hid his escape and landed in the tunnels. He quickly used the rope to the hatch to close it, then fell to his knees. It had been more heartwrecking to see her again than he had expected. He clutched the chain in his hand, the diamond on the ring not shining anymore in the darkness. And for a moment he wondered if Chloe too would stop shining if she joined him in the darkness.

***

She wasn't able to see him through the horrible mask and his eyes were pure red flames, but his voice was enough to enchant her when he appeared. She couldn't help but go to him, even as Marcus tried to stop her. After the Devil had delivered his message to the owners, he'd finally turned to her and walked the last small distance that was between them. He stopped only two feet from her and she noticed that his flaming eyes died out, leaving those breathtaking brown eyes shining in the depths of the mask's eye holes. She barely heard what he sang to her, only the words "return to me" caught her and lingered in her mind. She ached to see all of him, to touch him and sing with him, but she felt as if she was glued to the spot. His eyes still radiated love when he looked at her and she felt lost in their intensity.

Suddenly someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back, but her eyes didn't leave the man in front of her. Then she saw that his eyes went to her throat. Her necklace. He ripped the chain off her, his eyes igniting once again as he held the ring up in the air. " _Your chains are still mine._ _You belong to me."_ He spat at her. She wanted to answer him, but before she could, smoke rose around her. She walked towards him, but he wasn't there anymore. He'd simply vanished. 

The smoke had almost cleared before she realized that Marcus was talking to her while shaking her lightly. Ella came to her side with a damp cloth for her forehead and only then did Chloe discover that they were in a private dressing room. Madame Martin stood with her back to the mirror and looked worried. 

"Chloe, please, speak! Are you alright?" Marcus repeated. She knew she should answer her fiance, but somehow couldn't find the words. 

"Where...?"...is he? She wanted to ask. But she doubted they would tell her if they knew. "What happened?" 

Marcus heaved her into his arms. "You were almost burnt by that monster, the Devil!" He stroked her back a bit too roughly and she pulled herself away from him. He exaggerated again, a bad habit of his. 

"Nothing of the sort," Madame Martin spoke firmly. "A little smoke, that's all. But it seems that he didn't like your..." She gestured with her hand towards Chloe's chest as she searched for the right word, "jewelry."

"Yes, he's not only a terrorist, but also a thief!" Marcus got up from the divan where he had been sitting next to Chloe. "I will speak to the owners right away. This person must be stopped." He left before Chloe could stop him. Apparently he wasn't that concerned about her wellbeing anymore. 

She hid her face in her hands and felt the tears come. Ella rushed to her side and tried to comfort her. "It's okay, Chloe. You will be okay."

Chloe looked to Ella, then to Madame Martin. She could trust them. "It's not me I'm worried about. It's my Angel of Music." Madame Martin nodded knowingly while Ella looked confused, so Chloe elaborated. "He's the one who've taught me since I was young. He's the Devil of the Opera." Ella gasped while Madame Martin wasn't the least surprised. "I loved him, but then he killed Malcolm. He's a murderer and can't be good, can he?" She looked at the two other women for answers, answers they didn't have. She settled against the divan and closed her eyes. Madame Martin left abruptly while Ella did her best to soothe her friend. Chloe wanted to tell Ella everything, but she was scared that she would sound crazy, so instead they sat in silence, though she felt Ella's questions in the young girl's eyes. 

She was about to finally tell her friend when the door burst open and Charlotte Richards walked in with an accusing finger pointed at Chloe. "You little mouse! You did this!".

"Get away from her!" Marcus shouted and it actually made Charlotte back up a bit. "She has done nothing. She's an innocent." His choice of words made Chloe blush. She felt anything but innocent in the relationship she'd had with the Devil.

"She's obviously working with the Devil! You saw them." Charlotte shrieked. Chloe held back a giggle when Ella covered her ears and winked to Chloe. "Whatever they're doing together it's not decent." This time Chloe blushed. She wasn't wrong about it.

Madame Martin walked in, the owners following her with the leather bind that the Devil had delivered. "Madame Richards, you know nothing about decency, so I ask you to be quiet." The older ballet teacher had everyone's respect, even Charlotte's. "The owners want a word with you." She gestured for Monsieur Amenadiel and Monsieur Uriel to take over.

"Yes, well," Monsieur Amenadiel started. "We've been discussing it over and we've decided that we will perform the Devil's opera... the way he requested." Charlotte and Chloe gasped, though probably for different reasons. Charlotte wanted to be the one in the spotlight which Chloe suspected that she wouldn't be. Chloe knew this opera was a trick by the Devil. Who knew what he had planned?

"Is it even any good?" Charlotte wrinkled her nose.

"Uhm, we are not really good at reading music sheets. But Monsieur Espinoza calls it extraordinary, though not like anything he's seen before." Amenadiel seemed lost. The owners really didn't know anything about music, only the business. Her Angel was right, Chloe thought, then chastised herself. He's the Devil, not her Angel. "He played some of it for us and it seemed... uhm," Amenadiel paused again and looked around, ending with Chloe before he looked to the binder he was holding. "...interesting at least."

"But, Monsieur Pierce suggested," Monsieur Uriel continued and Chloe could hear in his voice that Marcus hadn't suggested, but demanded. "that we make it a trap. The Devil is bound to show up, persumely in Box 5, and that's where we'll catch him. We'll have officers at every exit. There's no way he will be able to escape!" Chloe felt like there was heavy stone in her stomach. She didn't like this plan.

"I do not recommend toying with the Devil." Madame Martin stated. "Someone will likely burn and I doubt it will be him."

Marcus dared to laugh at this. "Madame, his thoughts will only be on Chloe who will be on the stage."

"I will not!" Chloe finally spoke up and ran from the room. 


	6. Wishing you were somehow here again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe doesn't know whether to help Pierce catch the Devil or make sure the Devil stays safe. She visits her father's grave for guidance.

Marcus found her, to her disappointment, in the chapel. The place where she'd prayed to her father as a child when she'd felt most abandoned. She begged him to send the Angel of Music to her. It was also here he'd come to her, her Angel or Devil, whoever he might be. She thought of the many nights he'd taught her and sung with her. It had been like they shared one voice, one soul. Now she felt abandoned once again, but by another man.

"I cannot do it, Marcus. My Angel.. The Devil, he has a power like no other." She thought of how he'd mesmerized her only hours before. She felt it in every part of her body and mind. But Marcus didn't understand the bond she felt with her tutor.

_You said yourself—he was nothing but a man_  
_Yet while he lives, he will haunt us 'til we're dead_  
  
Chloe turned away from him. She already felt like she would be haunted by his presence for the rest of her life, but if she knew him to be gone... Then she would surely miss him.  
_Twisted every way, what answer can I give?_  
_Am I to risk my life to win the chance to live?_  
_Can I betray the man who once inspired my voice?_  
_Do I become his prey? Do I have any choice?_  
_He kills without a thought. He murders all that's good_  
_I know I can't refuse, and yet, I wish I could_  
_Oh God, if I agree, what horrors wait for me_  
_In this, the Devil's opera?_  
  
She looked to the cross at the small altar, feeling that this once her sanctuary had been tainted with too many memories. She couldn't find peace here. Marcus walked over to her and put his arms around her.  
_Chloe, Chloe, don't think that I don't care_  
_But every hope, and every prayer rests on you now_

She didn't want that burden on her shoulders and yet Marcus put it on her. But if he promised to keep her safe, then what choice did she have? It was either Marcus or a murderer.

***

The rehearsal of Don Juan Triumphant started the very next day and it was of course a brilliant opera the Devil had created. There had been no doubt in Chloe's mind, but the rest of the cast was pleasantly surprised by this. Though the plot was very inappropriate as it was about Don Juan deceiving a young girl Aminta into his bed and of course Chloe was to play this Aminta. She didn't have to do anything improper with Espinoza who played Don Juan, but the lyrics and the sensual music were enough to make her blush whenever she found herself on stage. It didn't help that every time they seemed to hit an obstacle, something mysterious happened. More than once it seemed like the rest of the cast became possessed to play it in a certain way and she was guessed that the Devil was at fault.

The whole situation was causing her nothing but distress and she couldn't find time for what she wanted. It wasn't until the night before the premiere that she finally got away.

She'd gotten Ella to order her a carriage. Covered by a dark cloak with a flower in her hand, she boarded the carriage and asked to be driven to the cemetery. She paid the coach to wait for her as she ventured into the dark fog by herself. It was dangerous to walk alone at night as a woman, but she hoped that no one would disturb the dead. After walking the path she'd walked many times before, she arrived at the grave she knew so well. She knelt in front of the tombstone to brush away the dirt. John Decker. 

She never knew her mother. She'd been a performer and left shortly after Chloe's birth. Her dad had been left to raise her on his own. But he never complained and always did the best a father could do. He'd tell her stories, read and sing to her, often involving the Angel of Music who watched over her. He told Chloe that she had the most beautiful voice and someday the Angel of Music would come to her and help her to become the brightest star.  
He was her rock and she could always count on him. Until he'd gotten shot in a robbery, ending the world she knew when she was only 10 years old. She'd been taken in by Madame Martin who'd been a friend of her dad and she'd lived in the dormitories ever since. She was the youngest girl at the time and had no friends, no one to turn to. Madame Martin had been there when she could, but as a mature single woman she had to work a lot to earn a living. Then an evening when she'd been singing in memory of her dad, someone had called her name. From that night she'd had a companion that she could count on and a tutor who taught her to improve her singing. As she got older, she got other friends at the theater, one of them being Ella. But no one could make her feel like her Angel did. Not even Marcus and she was ashamed to admit it.

She put the flower on the tombstone and traced her dad's name with her fingers on the gray stone. She felt the loss of him as powerful now as the day of his funeral and just as alone. She'd lost her dad and now her Angel. How much more could she take?

_You were once m_ _y one companion_  
_You were all th_ _at mattered_  
_You were once a_ _friend and father_  
_Then my world w_ _as shattered_

_Wishing you were s_ _omehow here again_  
_Wishing you were s_ _omehow near_  
_Sometimes it seemed i_ _f I just dreamed_  
_Somehow you would b_ _e here_  
_Wishing I could h_ _ear your voice again_  
_Knowing that I n_ _ever would_  
_Dreaming of you w_ _on't help me to do_  
_All that you dreamed_ _I could_

_Passing bells a_ _nd sculpted angels_  
_Cold and monumental  
_ _Seem for you t_ _he wrong companions  
_ _You were warm and gentle_

_Too many years_  
_Fighting back tears_  
_Why can't the past j_ _ust die?_

_Wishing you were s_ _omehow here again_  
_Knowing we must s_ _ay goodbye_  
_Try to forgive_  
_Teach me to live_  
_Give me the strength t_ _o try_

_No more memories_  
_No more silent tears_  
_No more gazing across_  
_The wasted years_  
_Help me say g_ _oodbye_

She cried silently in the mist, not a living thing nearby. And yet she started to feel a lingering presence around her. Something she knew well in her bones.  
 _Wandering child. So lost, so helpless, yearning for my guidance"_ the wind sang to her and she knew that voice.

_"Angel or father? Friend or devil? Who is it there, staring?"_ She looked at the stone angel behind her father's grave. Without a thought she rose to her feet and walked towards it. It was just a statue, but she knew the soul behind it. Either that or she was going mad.

_"Have you forgotten your Angel?"_ It whispered and she felt the relief and walked even closer. She knew that he was danger, he must be as he had murdered a man. And yet she'd never felt so safe as when she was close to him.

_"Angel, oh, speak! What endless longings echo in this whisper."_ She touched the status which was cold. Then a fiery heat emerged and there he was. In his fine suit and white half mask that stood out in the darkness. He wore a small smile around his lips and his dark brown eyes stared intensely into hers. Once again she felt drawn to him.  
 _Too long you've wandered in winter  
_ _Far from my far-reaching gaze  
_ _You resist, yet your soul obeys  
_ _I am your Angel of Music  
_ _Come to me, Angel of Music_

She stepped into his waiting arms and the comfort he'd always provided flowed through her once again. He was all she knew and all she needed.

"Angel of darkness! Cease this torment!" Marcus called, running down the narrow pathway between graves with a torch. He'd followed her, as had her Angel. She stepped out of her Angel's arms and stood between the two men, feeling betrayed by them both. One in the shadows of an angel, another in the false light. But the men did not look at her anymore, only each other with a burning rage. The Devil's eyes lit aflame once again, filling her with dread. This was the moment she believed him to be a murderer.

"Bravo, Monsieur!" The Devil laughed. "Please do come closer and dare take a look into my eyes!" Chloe suddenly noticed Marcus' eyes grow hooded, his tense body going limp. "Come to me." The Devil called and his eyes turned into a bright yellow flame. Marcus walked past Chloe towards him, like in a trance. Then she noticed the knife ready in the Devil's hand. She couldn't bear anymore murders.

"No, Marcus, stop!" Chloe stepped in front of him, shielding him from the eyes that hypnotized him. "You have to go!" He seemed to wake up, blinking wildly. "Go, Marcus!" He nodded, then lifted her over his shoulder and ran out of the cemetery, not even letting her say goodbye. She reached for her Angel, his eyes once again brown and filled with despair. 

***

When they got to the carriage Marcus finally let her down as he put her inside and told the coach where to go. "Why did you make me leave?" She yelled at him, frustrated by his ungentlemanly manners. She beat his hard chest, but he seemed like he couldn't feel it.

"You were in danger!" Marcus fumed and she backed away when she saw the look in his eyes. There were no flames, but it was truly horrifying anyway. She looked away. "If you think I'm letting you out of my sight from now on, you're mistaken!"

"He wouldn't have hurt me." She whispered. Of that she was sure.

"Whatever he wants with you, it's not sane. He's a madman. But tomorrow at the premiere we'll capture him. And then you shall be mine, body and soul." His voice had grown colder than she'd ever heard it. She wondered if he had meant his statement to be a threat to her because that's how it sounded. He was the good guy, wasn't he? Then why was she so in doubt?


	7. Point of no return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the premiere nothing goes as planned and Chloe finds herself on unknown ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I prefer the stage version of the musical, this one scene is closer to the 2004 movie. Why? Because the Devil is temptation and the one good thing about the movie is this scene where the passion between the main characters is palpable. That's very much how I imagine things between Chloe and the Devil. But he will be wearing a hood because it doesn't make sense that anyone could hide their whole identity behind a small mask.

The night of the premiere was like no other night she could remember in all the time she'd worked at the theater. Lux had been her home for many years now and she'd seen it all. Or so she thought. But tonight Monsieur Pierce had set traps everywhere and there were more police officers present than there were cast members. Half the audience wanted to see the Devil's opera while the other half wanted to see the Devil when they finally caught him. But no one knew what the Devil's plan was for them. He had always been unstable in the time she'd known him, but when it was apparent that he'd fallen in love with a woman he'd been secretly teaching, she knew that something awful would happen. And though she was afraid of him and the things he might do, she still cared for the broken man in a mask.

Madame Linda Martin had seen it all when she'd met the Devil. And tonight she feared that she would see his downfall.

***

Chloe hadn't eaten all day despite Ella's best attempts to allure with all kinds of food. After Marcus had gotten her to the theater the night before, he'd made sure that she was safely inside the dormitory before he'd left. At first he'd insisted that he take her to his apartment, but she'd convinced him to let her be the place she knew as home, promising to stay close to Ella and the other girls at all time. Chloe knew that she'd be safe from the Devil in the theater because he wouldn't keep her from performing his opera. Pride was one of his sins after all.

Marcus' plan to catch the Devil seemed ludicrous. The Devil had eyes and ears everywhere in the theater, knowing every passageway and escape route. And yet Marcus had made it swarm with police. It was so very obvious how to avoid them. Luckily it meant that Marcus'd been busy all day. She still felt wary after the episode the night before and she had even told Ella about it. Ella really liked Marcus, so she wasn't much help, but she was kind enough to listen to Chloe's worries. She'd been by Chloe's side all day while she rehearsed and prepared for the big night. Madame Martin had also been there, though she hadn't said a word. She seemed nervous as well, something Chloe had never seen before in all the years she'd known the older woman.

They could all hear when the audience was let into the theater. Everyone was talking, not whispering as they normally did when entering. It wasn't a well-kept secret that this opera was new and made by a man believed to be the Devil who lived at Lux. The many police officers didn't really help in securing a peaceful night. Chloe felt herself swallowing past a lump in her throat when she caught some of the things people were saying: "The Devil's mistress", "a sinister love triangle" and "indecent performance" caught her ears several times. But she only did what the owners asked her and, of course, Marcus who was respected in the city. He would keep the rumors away from her person, he had promised. 

The first act had quieted the audience's chatter. While they might not have been there for the music alone, the Devil's composure had enchanted everyone. His music was different from anything they knew, but nonetheless flawless than anything Chloe had ever performed. And though she was nervous about the improper subject, she was proud to be the first to perform this musical masterpiece.

After the short intermission no one was talking when they entered the room. Instead there was an awing anticipation. This part made Chloe particularly nervous as the lustful duet she shared with Espinoza was coming up. They'd made the choreography as little obscene as possible, but it wouldn't matter when the audience would hear the lyrics. She looked up at Marcus who seemed impatient and not really interested in her performance at all. It was discouraging, but at least she knew that the Devil was watching. Hopefully he approved.

She as Aminta was sitting by a table as if she was waiting for someone. A man she knew well had promised to meet her and she'd decided to give her virtue to him. Unbeknownst to Aminta the man had been switched with Don Juan who would be the one to bed her. In this scene he'd seduce her.

She waited for Espinoza to enter the stage which would be her cue to look up. The audience was quiet, the instruments ready to play when he'd start singing. But before he entered the stage, she felt a presence. _His_ presence that she was so attuned to. She tried discreetly to look around, but couldn't see him anywhere. He was hiding, waiting to see the climax up close. She could deliver the performance of her life as a way of saying goodbye before marrying Marcus. She waited for Espinoza's cue, but instead she heard another voice. 

_You have come here_  
_In pursuit of your deepest urge_  
_In pursuit of that wish which till now has been silent_  
_Silent_

It was him. He was covered in the hood that Espinoza was supposed to be wearing as Don Juan and he was singing the song as it was meant, but this was definitely not Espinoza. She knew his voice. Her Angel, the Devil, all in one. His voice was better than Espinoza's, stronger and more sensual. She felt it tingle its way through her body and into her soul. She looked into the wings to the cast members who seemed enchanted, but not confused by this Don Juan's voice. Marcus was still in box 5 and looked at them indifferently. Still the Devil was nearing her.

 _I have brought you_  
_That our passions may fuse and merge_  
_In your mind you've already succumbed to me_  
_Dropped all defenses, completely succumbed to me_  
_Now you are here with me, no second thoughts_  
_You've decided  
Decided_

He walked behind her as she rose to her feet and felt him breathed in her scent. It sent shivers down her spine and she closed her eyes for a moment. The closeness was unbearable and yet she stood frozen. She forgot to be scared of the murderer, the man who the night before had held a knife in his hand while he'd hypnotized her fiance to come closer. She forgot the audience and her fellow cast. There was only him with her on that stage.

 _Past the point of no return_  
_No backward glances_  
_The games we've played till now are at an end_  
_Past all thought of if or when_  
_No use resisting_  
_Abandon thought and let the dream descend_

His hands draped over her bared shoulders and down her arms. Then he trailed one hand around her as he walked to the front of her to face her. His voice and the words traveled with his hands over her skin and left flames that spread and burned everything in their wake. Her skin sang with him as its maestro. None of this was a part of the choreography. It was too intense, too indecent, yet it felt so natural. His gaze was only on her and under the hood she could clearly see his brown eyes consuming her. She felt like she wasn't worthy of his attention, this passionate creature, this genius. But she couldn't resist.

 _What raging fire shall flood the soul?_  
_What rich desire unlocks its door?_  
_What sweet seduction lies before us_  
_Past the point of no return_  
_The final threshold?_  
_What warm, unspoken secrets will we learn_  
_Beyond the point of no return?_

It was her turn to sing, she knew it. She'd learned it all and could sing it in her sleep. She should turn and alert Marcus or the officers, but his voice lingered on her skin and his gaze bore into her as if he dared her. To what? she wondered. She suddenly felt confident, a trait he'd always been able to uncover in her. She held his eyes and she walked past him, her hand lightly running over his shoulders. She walked towards the stairs on the right as the choreography had planned and he mirrored her, walking to the left. He seemed intrigued by her actions.

 _You have brought me_  
_To that moment where words run dry_  
_To that moment where speech disappears into silence_  
_Silence_  
_I have come here_  
_Hardly knowing the reason why_  
_In my mind I've already imagined our bodies entwining, defenseless and silent_  
_And now I am here with you, no second thoughts_  
_I've decided_  
_Decided_

She shivered as she sang about lovemaking with him in her mind. Their contact never breaking as they ascended the stairs. It reminded her of her night in his penthouse, making her blood boil with passion and she heard her voice sounding so different, though so much better than before. Heat pooled in her lower stomach when she saw him react to her singing as he strode purposely up the stairs, his eyes lustful and wanting.

 _Past the point of no return_  
_No going back now_  
_Our passion play has now at last begun_  
_Past all thought of right or wrong_  
_One final question_  
_How long should we two wait before we're one?_  
_When will the blood begin to race_  
_The sleeping bud bursts into bloom?_  
_When will the flames at last consume us?_

Finally they met on top of the bridge, none of them wasting a moment to close the distance between them. They gripped each other's hands and started to sing together. He spun them around, so her back was to his chest and she held his hands on top of hers as they traveled over her hips, her waist, her bosom and up her neck. They sang of all-consuming desire and lust and she felt it completely engulf her. He'd written this with her in mind where he was singing with her in this very moment. 

_Past the point of no return_  
_The final threshold_  
_The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn_  
_We've passed the point of no return_

She felt a hardness at her back and held back a moan as she resisted pushing back against him. He turned his lips to her, lightly grazing them over her neck, making her shudder. There was no one but him and she'd never felt a yearning like this, to give into him completely. She felt a drop tickle down her thigh from her wetness, a fire he'd set aflame. She needed him to extinguish it. She turned her face to his when he softly started singing to her. This wasn't a part of the opera.

_Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime_  
_Lead me, save me from my solitude_  
_Say you want me with you here beside you_

She let him go slowly as he sang. He stood in front of her, his posture not imposing anymore, but somehow beseeching. He was professing his love to her and she felt the urge to return it. She'd do anything for him, if only he'd let her. She noticed him taking off a ring on his little finger, a ring which he'd taken from her neck not long ago. He put it on her ring finger and held her hand as he went down on his knees in front of her. She wanted to see all of him. She lightly pushed off the hood over his head and he let her, staring pleading into her eyes. A tear fell from his uncovered cheek.

_Anywhere you go let me go too  
_ _Chloe, that's all I ask of..._

She pulled his mask off, instantly setting his gaze on fire as he stopped singing. All around them she heard gasps and screams. She'd forgotten that they weren't alone, but on stage with a thousand people watching them. She looked back to the seething man in front of her with the burnt and scarred face and flaming eyes. Why? his eyes asked, filling with tears that evaporated in the flames before they were even allowed to fall.

On either side of the bridge she saw officers approaching them while Marcus called for her to run away. Down below, everything was chaos and she actually felt glad that she was up there. She looked frantically back at the man beside her. She was scared of his anger, but she couldn't watch him die. As their eyes met once again he grabbed her waist, kicked something on the frame of the bridge and down they fell from the bridge. She braced herself for the impact of hitting the stage, but it never came. Instead they kept falling and she couldn't hold back her scream as they plunged into darkness.


	8. The angel in hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Devil takes Chloe to his penthouse after she unmasked him. Pierce tries to save her and Chloe has a difficult choice to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was very difficult to write since so many different people are singing. And I've changed the lyrics again - don't hate me! I promised myself that this should fit Lucifer, not the other way around.

They landed in a pile of clothes which looked like old costumes. She looked up and saw a hatch close above them and realized that she knew that hatch as it was often used in stage productions. That's where they had fallen through the stage. It was just a theatrical trick, nothing more. The Devil grabbed her hand and pulled her up, leading her through a panel in the wall. She heard voices calling her name nearby, but she was too dumbstruck by the secret passages to call out to whoever was there. The voices started joining and became louder. They cried for justice and the capture of the Devil of the Opera. 

He led her into a small closet of sorts and pulled a grid down behind them. She wondered if they were hiding from someone in there. Could she escape now? Should she? She looked carefully towards the man beside her, but that wasn't necessary. She couldn't see anything in the dark anyway, except for his burning eyes and she needn't look directly at him to feel their flames. Suddenly he began to sing desperately as he twisted some lever in the small room and then her stomach left the ground. She was standing with her feet on the floor, but she felt like she was catapulted upwards at a fast pace and she had to steady herself against the wall. 

_Up once more to the fortress of my black despair_  
_Up we flee to the prison of my mind_  
_Up that path into darkness, quite like hell!_

_Why, you ask, was I forced to hide in this godforsaken place?  
Not for any mortal sin, but the wickedness of my abhorrent face!_

They abruptly stopped moving again and nausea rose in her. Her knees weakened and she was about to fall, but he swooped her up in his arms like she was his bride and carried her out of the closet. She saw that they had somehow traveled from the basement of the theater to the top where his penthouse was. It was more than 10 floors. It baffled her. She looked back at where they had come from, but all she could see there was a bookcase. She looked around for another way they could've come in, but was distracted when she saw the penthouse. It looked so different this time. The wall of candles was lit, but all around on the floor music sheets were scattered and empty bottles filled the piano top. She looked back at her captor who held her firmly against his chest, wrath emanating from his very being. She was shocked to discover that his whole face was now covered in scars, not just half like before. He'd no hair on his head, no eyebrows and no long eyelashes. His lips were barely there and veins stood out everywhere on the rough surface. 

"Your face..." She whispered. "It's... everywhere." His eyes widened at her words and he quickly put her down. She staggered, but managed to steady herself. He walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows and stared at his reflection there. She heard a sob from him and he buried his face in his hands and sank to the floor. She neared him slowly, feeling sympathy though she knew that she shouldn't. "What... who are you?" She stuttered, hoping that she didn't sound as weak as she felt.

"I am Lucifer." He replied and she clearly heard that he was trying to hide his crying. "The fallen Archangel. The Devil, ruler of Hell." She gasped as she realized that it wasn't a metaphor. Of course, he was the real Devil, the proof was right there in front of her. The eyes... it was actual hell fire in his eyes." She couldn't stand on her legs anymore as the implications of it all came crashing upon her. God was real and so was the Devil. He was sitting a few yards away from her. But he was an Angel, her Angel. He'd never lied about that. Wasn't the Devil supposed to lie? From the floors beneath them she could hear voices from a mob calling for the murderer, but she couldn't care.

"Why are you here?" She thought the Devil was supposed to be in Hell or at least out and luring souls to Hell. Not trying to run a theater. She suddenly felt fear run cold down her back. Had she somehow sold her soul to him for her voice? "Do you own my soul?"

He laughed bitterly at her and she cringed. "I don't care about souls. I punish the evil-doers and you are not one, Chloe. I escaped Hell. There was no beauty there, no light, no music and no song." He stared longingly at her and she turned her face away from his burning gaze. "I thought that Earth would be my sanctuary. But I didn't know what the human race thought of the Devil... They thought I was responsible for everything going wrong in their life. 

_Hounded out by everyone!_  
_Met with hatred everywhere!_  
_No kind words from anyone!_  
_No compassion anywhere!_  
_Chloe..._  
_Why? Why?_

He sobbed once more. "I tried to hide my scarred face, so no one could recognize me as the monster I am, but I couldn't." He continued. "I fled to this theater because at least here I could find music. And I found your voice. When I heard your voice, I felt a longing like no other. After a few years in your presence and with your admiration I managed to hide some of my horrid face and I covered the rest with a mask, so I could finally see you face to face."

She swallowed the fear she felt and focused on his awful story. He sounded so sincere and it made sense. Humanity had made the Devil the scapegoat of all that was wrong in the world, but what he wasn't responsible? What if he just wanted to be like everyone else? She knew that feeling. "Then what do you want from me?" She whispered.

"I... I just want to be near you, Chloe." He finally looked up at her. "You never judged me. And your voice... it was like being home for the first time in eons." She saw the dying flames in his eyes. She had no doubt that it was true. Then his face fell and he looked away. "But then you saw my face... And you ran. To that boy. I will kill him and everyone else who comes between us! Just like I killed Graham!" She gasped as his eyes in an instant turned into an inferno. Then she saw how his stare traveled down where straps of the daring costume had fallen, exposing her shoulders and much of her cleavage. She tried pulling the top up again.

 _Haven't you gorged yourself enough in your lust for blood?_  
_Am I now to be prey to your lust for flesh?_

Her song was close to panic and she backed away as she saw his sinister smile. He stood, walked over to her and pulled her to her feet. She looked away, tears streaming down her face.   
  
_That fate which condemns me to wallow in blood_  
_Has also denied me the joys of the flesh_  
_This face - the infection which poisons our love..._

 _This face, earned from wanting free will_  
_My fall burning my skin, leaving me in Hell_

His voice was pained, the sorrow floating through the air around them. She felt the loneliness that he'd lived in and pictured him falling from the heavens, thrown out by his own father, and burning on his way down. The red scars were real burn wounds. She was about to open her mouth and tell him how sorry she was, but he wanted none of it as he turned her to face him.

 _Pity comes too late—_  
_Turn around and face your fate:_  
_An eternity of this before your eyes!_

She looked at him, taking in the entirety of his face. It was dreadful to look at, truly reminding her of Hell. The scarred tissue seemed to flicker with flames, veins pulsating under the thick layer of scars. She touched a scarred cheek lightly and though it didn't seem to hurt him, he twitched when her fingers first came into contact with it. She wondered if anyone had ever touched it before. It was ghastly, but she found that even as hideous as it was, it was nothing as bad as the fear he had instilled in her with his anger and murder. His eyes truly scared her when the flames burned because they showed his fury and his fury was uncontrollable. It was only then that she could believe him to be a monster.

 _This haunted face holds no horror for me now_  
_It's in your soul that the true distortion lies_

He stared at her in disbelief as the flames once again died down to embers. She tried to convey as much sincerity in her eyes as she could and dared to stroke his cheek a little more firmly. He leaned into her hand and closed his eyes. A pained sigh escaped the lips that were barely there. For a moment it was just the two of them. She wondered if she could let the past go if he could tame his rage.  
Then his eyes opened again with a menacing blaze and he let her go abruptly.

 _Wait, my dear!_  
_I think we have a guest_

Chloe heard a crash and saw Marcus kicking a hole in the door that led to the stairs. "Marcus!" She called and he looked relieved when he found her face. He barely noticed the Devil stalking towards him with a grin. 

_Sir...this is indeed, an unparalleled delight!_  
_I had rather hoped that you would come_  
_And now my wish comes true—_  
_You have truly made my night!_

Marcus kicked and beat against the broken door, but it didn't budge. He pleaded passionately with the Devil even though it was useless.

 _Free her!_  
_Do what you like, only free her!_  
_Have you no pity?_

 _I love her!_  
_Does that mean nothing?_  
_I love her!_  
_Show some compassion..._

The Devil's face flickered with living flames as he spit at Marcus' appeal: _"The world showed no compassion to me!"_

 _"Chloe, Chloe, let me see her."_ Marcus begged once more and finally the Devil seemed to comply. The door slowly opened seemingly on its own when the Devil gestured to it. He gave Marcus a slight bow. Though it seemed more as mocking than courtesy. 

_Be my guest, sir_  
_Monsieur, I bid you welcome!_  
_Did you think that I would harm her?_  
_Why would I make her pay, for the sins which are yours?_

The Devil grabbed Marcus by the neck and held him up easily in one hand. Marcus gasped for his life, his fingers clawing and fighting against the grip that held him, but it was no use. The Devil turned to Chloe with Marcus dangling by his hand and gave her an ultimatum:

 _Start a new life with me—_  
_Buy his freedom with your love!_  
_Refuse me, and you send your lover to his death!_  
_This is the choice—_  
_This is the point of no return!_

His bitter words turned to bile in her throat. How could he make her face such a choice? This wasn't the Angel of Music, this was the Devil she'd been taught in Sunday school. He felt hounded, but now he'd become the one who hounded others. She noticed Marcus' fight weakening. He would kill Marcus, she had no doubt about it as she recognized the desperation in his eyes. She felt her heart harden with every moment as the choice of her life versus Marcus' was completely unfair. 

_The tears I might have shed for your dark fate_  
_Grow cold and turn to tears of hate_

His face stayed impassive at her words, but she noticed the hurt in his eyes. It wasn't enough though. She wanted to scream and cry, kick and hit. She wanted to hurt him like he'd hurt her.

 _Angel of Music, you deceived me_  
_I gave my mind blindly_

The pain in his eyes this time was impossible to miss. He closed his eyes and she saw tears that normally evaporated in the flames from his eyes falling from his burnt eyelids. For a moment she forgot Marcus in the Devil's grip, but then she noticed that he'd gone limp. The Devil sighed and said in a miserable voice: "You try my patience. Make your choice." It was now or never if Marcus was to be saved. She neared the Devil - the Angel by the name of Lucifer - with a tender look in her eyes. He slowly let his arm with Marcus fall a bit like he was surprised to see her come closer. His eyes widened with every step she took.

 _Pitiful creature of darkness_  
_What kind of life have you known?_

She stopped when her body was only inches from his and ran her hand up over his shoulder to his neck which made him close his eyes completely and drop Marcus to the floor. Her actions weren't meant to be seductive and she was pretty sure that it wasn't why he reacted as he did. It was because of her touch. Something he rarely felt. When he opened his eyes again, they were dark brown and tears were forming in them. __  
  
_God give me courage to show you_  
_You are not alone_

She pulled him down and met his lips with hers. She'd kissed him before in this very room many months ago and therefore she shouldn't be as surprised as she was by the intensity. His mouth was hot and though it seemed like his lips were barely there, she could very much feel their shape as they touched hers. Her other hand came up to touch his cheek, stroking lightly over the uneven surface. He uttered a sound between a groan and a sob and as his lips parted to let it out, she took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. She explored his mouth and moaned softly when his tongue caressed hers. She couldn't help but wonder how someone this gentle could the Devil. Shouldn't someone who'd lived in Hell for millennia be harder or more cruel?

She slowly drew back to look at the Devil before her, but instead she saw her Angel. All of him. There was not any burnt flesh, no red angry skin. All she saw was the most handsome man before her. She smiled brightly at him and hugged him close. "My Angel" she whispered as tears formed in her eyes and she felt his breath hitch. Then she pulled him back into another kiss. This time he took control and deepened the kiss immediately which made her moan in appreciation. He wove his fingers into her hair while his hand circled her waist and pulled her flush against him. She twisted and grabbed at his hair (that had luckily grown back) with one hand while the other ran up his muscular chest. He nibbled at her bottom lips, then bit lightly which made her gasp. She felt him smile against her mouth before continuing their kiss. His hand at her waist began gliding upwards, a strong presence on her body. He pressed the whole way up over her chest and to her throat where he firmly caressed her. She was reminded of the passion they'd shared on stage only an hour ago and longed to take it further.

A galled groan beside them stopped her. Marcus. She pulled back and looked at her Angel. He looked bewildered at her, yet with wonder in his eyes. "Your face..." She gestured to his face, now without a flaw and he touched his cheeks. He smiled radiantly at her, tugged her into a hug and swirled them around. But when he let her down on her feet, his smile had turned bleak and his chocolate eyes began spilling with tears. In the near distance she could hear a mob calling out for the murderer - the Devil of the Opera. He heaved a coughing Marcus up from the floor to her and as she struggled to steady Marcus, her Angel turned from her, mumbling. 

_Take her, forget me, forget all of this..._  
_Leave me alone_  
_Forget all you've seen..._  
_Go now, don't let them find you!_

_Swear to me_  
_never to tell_  
_the secret you know_  
_of the angel in hell!_

Marcus swiftly gained his balance and started pulling her towards the exit. She saw her Angel smash a large candelabra into the wall of candles and flames caught the music sheets on the floor, spreading fire across the room. Then he strode up the few stairs to the bedroom, ignoring the rising flames around him. Her eyes followed him despite Marcus' grip that hauled her the other way. He'd let them both go. The compassion she had shown him had been the very thing that made him act with mercy. "Angel," she called, but he barely looked towards them as he waved her away.  
__  
Go now!  
_GO NOW and leave me!_

She saw him drift further and further away - literally as she was pulled towards the stairs and figuratively as he disappeared into himself. Marcus' grip on her was rough and she felt metal on her ring finger squeeze the fingers around it. She managed to escape Marcus' hand and looked up to see the ring he'd given her. The one the Devil had snapped from a chain around her neck and put on her ring finger om stage. Why didn't he even give her a choice? He'd forced the ring on like he'd forced her to leave now. No, he'd not even addressed her, instead he'd just told Marcus to "take her". It made her angry.

She heard the mob ascending the stairs, coming to punish the Devil who seemed to have given up. She had a choice to make and it wasn't as difficult as she would've thought. She took off the ring and handed it to Marcus.

"But..." He began to argue, but she just held her hand up and shook her head firmly. For once she wasn't letting herself get persuaded by any other than her own intuition and beliefs. Marcus had been just as bad in making decisions for her, but she was strong enough to do it on her own. She turned away from her former fiance and went looking for the Devil who'd become the Angel she always believed him to be. She heard Marcus call after her, but she ignored him.

The entire right side of the main room was covered in flames and she had to walk along the windows to avoid the burning heat. The room was slowly filling with smoke and she realized that she didn't have long. If the fire reached the piano and the empty bottles of what was probably liquor, it would be too late. There was no time to waste. She found him on the floor with his back to the bed she'd slept on. He was sitting with a toy monkey on a small bike cycle and singing quietly. It wasn't until she was a few feet away that he noticed her and looked up at her. Her heart constricted when she saw the tears falling down his cheeks.

" _Chloe... I love you_."

She sat down on her knees in front of him and stroked the tears from his cheeks. "Ange... Lucifer. We have to get out before it's too late." She looked behind her to watch the fire slowly, but surely spread towards the piano and the opening to the room they were occupying. How would they get out? If they could reach the stairs, they'd only run into the mob who wanted to lynch him. 

It was only then he seemed to realize what was happening in the other room. His eyes widened in panic, but it was only directed at her. "Chloe, you have to get out before it's too late!" He rose to her feet and she did the same.

"I'm not leaving without you," she replied and reluctantly took his hand to lead the way.

He held his ground and shook his head. "I'm not coming. This," he gestured to the fire, "is what I deserve. You must go and be happy with Pierce. Go." He sat back down solemnly.

"You don't get to decide that for me!" She almost yelled in frustration and he looked shocked at her sudden outburst. "I'm not letting anyone decide what I do anymore. I make my own choices. And I can't make you come with me, but I can tell you that right now you are my choice." His eyes widened and tears began to fill them once again. She took his hand again and pleaded him to come with her with her eyes. 

"Chloe, I don't deserve you. I'm evil, you've seen it for yourself." 

She shook her head. "I'm going to trust my instincts from now on. And my gut is telling me that you're not evil as everyone seems to believe. Please, come with me." He looked doubtingly and so she tried to persuade him by singing his own song back to him. 

_Let the dream begin, let your caring side give in_  
_To the harmony which dreams alone can write_  
_The power of the music of the night_

Instantly a spark of light flickered briefly in his eyes and he smiled a little. He took her hand again and rose to his feet, pulling her with him.

 _You alone can make my song take flight_  
_Help me make the music of the night_

She gripped his collar and tugged him to her, planting a chaste kiss on his lips, murmuring "yes" against them. He sighed and she felt his lips quivering before he enveloped her tightly in his arms. She turned the embrace with same vigor and enjoyed the heavenly feeling of being in his arms. But the spell was broken when a glass shattered in the next room, then another. She turned to see the fire had spread to the piano. The empty bottles on top exploded in the heat and shards of flaming glass flew across the room. She couldn't see the exit to the stairs anymore because of the tall flames.

"Are you ready to take a leap?" He asked with a grin and she nodded in confusion. Suddenly she felt herself being lifted and then he ran with an alarming speed at the windows. She braced herself with her arms cover her face as he crashed through a window and she felt panic because they were on the 10th floor. She took down her arms to look at the man holding her. He smiled calmly down at her, but frowned when he must've seen the horror on her face. She felt them starting to fall and he winked charmingly at her before looking up. Then she saw huge white feathers erupt from his back, pulling them upwards. He had wings. Because of course he'd wings because he was a literal angel. A fallen angel, but still an angel. And he was flying them to safety. She gasped at the beautiful feathers that seemed to illuminate the space around them. Her wide eyed expression caught his gaze and a worried look crossed his face for a moment. 

"Are you alright?" he asked and he couldn't hold back the nervousness from his voice. She nodded as she hooked both her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Then she laughed.

"I guess it wasn't just a metaphor when you said that you could make my song take flight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to make an original ending and then a happy one, but I just couldn't make poor Chloe go with Pierce. I hope you enoyed it anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments to let me know if this works or if you have any ideas or suggestions.


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